Going with the Flow
by Kagetsuya
Summary: Christmas offering! A meeting during the Christmas gathering (book 1) has influences several years into the future.


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Title: Going with the Flow  
**Author:** Kagetsuya  
**Pairings:** slight M+R, pre-K+C  
**Rating:** G  
**Warnings:** TWT, pre-shounenai, fluff, unbeta-ed (everything is my fault, yep yep)  
**Archive:** FFN, Yume no Kage. Anywhere else, just ask.  
**Writing Conventions:** * * * = scene change; _emphasis_, /thoughts/  
**Notes:** Most of it is set roughly around the Christmas Summer chapter of the manga. The rest is post-series. Or something. Considered tagging this semi-AU. Still might. Only been to Hilton once, and that was years ago so I don't remember a thing. The things here, which are pretty vague anyway, are all BS. So's the stuff about the gathering. Dunno where Kagetsuya and Chihaya were before the Hawaii chapter, either, so I'm sneaking away from that. ^^;; Haven't really touched the series in a while, but I tried to root OOCness out. Please forgive any of it. Anyway, as usual, nothing but the plot and OC belongs to me. So no suing. Need money to buy more manga. XD

He'd barely knocked when the door was thrown open. A moment later -- a second, he could have sword, or even a millisecond -- and he was pulled into a heated kiss that left him more than a bit breathless and certain parts of him feeling just a _tiny _bit constricted by his clothing. Not to mention, it took all of his attention off the rest of the room's occupants and focused it on the soft, pliant lips against his, the warm tongue that barged into his mouth uninvited -- but not unwelcome -- the body that so perfectly molded to fit with his.

Then that moment of eternity slowly melted away as his partner broke the contact, cheeks flushed and eyes darkened with want.

He promptly ignored the other's expression and the amused glances exchanged by the assembled, instead choosing to glare at the offending piece of greenery hanging above him. A light chuckle and a pair of hands taking hold of his own, drawing him inside, away from the sight.

He looked back into laughing, blue eyes and was greeted with an, "Okaeri, Raphael. Christmas omedetou."

****

Going with the Flow  
by: K  
Christmas 2002

"This holiday is a total waste of energy," Kagetsuya declared, voice full of disgust.

His dark-haired partner glanced at him, a tiny smile of amusement on his lips. "I know you're serious about your investigations, but Michael-sama and Raphael-sama declared this a short vacation," he chided playfully.

Narrowed, teal eyes looked sideways at him. "Can I help it if it's so glaringly obvious?"

Chihaya suppressed a grin. That was exactly the answer he had expected from the other angel. Firm in his beliefs and obstinate to the last, that was his partner. Not that he minded anymore, not so much as before, having lived with Kagetsuya for several months now. Barring the occasional argument, of course, but he liked to think that they had fewer of those as time went by. Although, if he thought about it, it was probably because he either let the blond talk or leave for an indeterminate amount of time so they could both cool off.

Most likely, he would do the latter. There were strict rules and guidelines of conduct for the angelic investigations, one detailing the absolute prohibition of influence on either partner. Many angels, like himself and his partner, felt one way or the other about the Earthians. These made the well-suited pairs, in the sense that they would stick to what they had to do. Albeit, those that he knew of either fought just as much as himself and Kagetsuya or forced themselves into not bringing up the topic of their investigations with each other, but that was only to be expected; for the most part, it did not interfere with their missions. Some angels were overly zealous or idealistic, depending on which view of the Earthians they held, but not many of them made it so far into the training to become full-fledged investigators, and even then they were monitored carefully.

Then there were the others who held no opinion either way, but treated their missions as merely -- 'strictly' was more the word -- duty. These, too, when paired, complemented each other -- of a sort -- in their shared apathy towards the Earthians. In fact, they were the best suited to their jobs, as they could conduct their investigations in a purely objective manner, with no opinions to cloud their judgment in any way.

And there were still others who fit into neither category, but in varying levels of the spectrum.

It was quite unfortunate that the emphasis in the pairing of investigators was on the scores received during training in Valhalla. Not that abilities and working relationships were not taken into account, but they just did not weigh as much into the pairing process as the tests. As a result, partners usually complemented each other in all ways but their viewpoints -- or non-viewpoints, for that matter. Therefore, discussions on investigations were generally discouraged, to make sure that angels did not influence their partners' reports.

In any case, the fact that they were currently in a cab did not give him the option to run off should a fight spark. Besides, he was jet-lagged and he felt like neither running nor arguing. So he chose to let Kagetsuya rant.

"Frivolous and wasteful," the blond was muttering, his switch to German a sure sign of his irritation. "They raise a fuss about conservation of resources, then not only do they destroy even more forests than usual, but deck every single inch of tree and property they can in lights and overload their electrical sockets." He snorted. "Waste of electricity, trees, and money, all in the name of this idiotic 'religious' celebration."

"It's also a time for love, for family. For many Earthians, this is the only time they can be together with their loved ones," Chihaya countered quietly, wondering to himself whatever happened to staying out of the subject. "A time to promote good will and peace among their countries."

"Yes, and I suppose they stop warring amongst themselves for the occasion."

The dark angel glared at him for a moment, then looked away again. "They're not all bad."

"They're not all good, either."

It was almost a ritual, those words. If neither exploded during their arguments or Chihaya did not leave, it would inevitably end in those two phrases. A truce between one of the few pairs of opinionated angels.

They were both quiet for the rest of the ride, until the driver announced that they'd reached Hilton Hawaiian Village. Kagetsuya got out first to retrieve their bags from the trunk while Chihaya paid and thanked the driver.

With respect to the main strip of Waikiki, the Hilton was secluded. Despite that and the fact that it was only sometime past four, however, the place was bustling with activity. Tourists coming and going, a steady stream of cars dropping off passengers in the driveway, the staff hurrying about to assist the guests. Many were talking about going to the beach to see the sunset or to the strip to check out the clubs and the shopping.

"Ne, ne, Kagetsuya," the younger angel began as he caught up with his partner. "Do you think we'll have time to go around after the gathering? It seems there's all kinds of interesting places where we could visit and things to do."

"Investigations resume following our meeting."

"Oh." /Of course. It's not like this is a vacation./

"However." Chihaya looked up and met the teal gaze that had a marginal amount less than its usual characteristic hardness. "The gathering isn't for three days yet."

It took a moment for that to register.

"Sugoooi!"

* * *

The trip definitely had its high and low points. Chihaya wondered briefly which there were more of, but dismissed it. It wouldn't do to find out there were more of the latter than the former.

Good: He'd managed to persuade Kagetsuya to spend _both_ of their free days exploring the whole of Waikiki. And the first night, too, when all the street performers were out.

Bad: They had several repeats of the time in Hong Kong, with people trying to grab him for one reason or the other. No stranger like Daina, though.

Good: Kagetsuya saved him yet again from a rather compromising position.

Bad: He'd been seen in his angelic form by an Earthian for the third time. Not only that, the human had taken him, cuffed him to a bed -- his wrist still hurt from when his partner had ripped the cuffs from the bedpost -- and attempted to persuade him to reveal his winds again, so the Earthian could take pictures. Kami only know what the pictures were going to be for.

And all that _before_ the meeting. Speaking of which...

Bad: As expected, he was reprimanded by archangels Michael and Raphael for having been seen with his wings by three Earthians. A fourth time, they all knew, and he would become Fallen.

Good: Kagetsuya had supported him. For all the blonde's short temper with him and all of their misunderstandings, he'd been willing to share the responsibility for his partner's mistakes.

Bad: The elder angel seemed to have acquired an obsession for making banana bread. Utterly convinced, he was, that he _had_ to surpass that of Hilton Hawaiian Village. Nothing Chihaya said would sway him otherwise.

Good...:

* * *

Damn decorations. Liz hated them, hated them with a passion. Or at least, she amended, these particular ones. At the moment, they were the bane of her existence. For some reason, it seemed every time she so much as _glanced_ at the garlands of fake pine needles interspersed with mistletoe over the main doors, one portion would begin to fall. And _then_, she would be the only one there was who was not conveniently busy and be sent to adjust the damn things, lest a door close on them and get stuck.

"God forbid," she muttered, rolling her eyes.

So there she was, minding her own business -- which, she silently counted, had been the fifth time during this shift that it became her damned business -- when someone bumped into the stepladder she was using to reach the garlands. The stepladder remained steady. She, on the other hand, did not.

Liz had barely enough time to register that she was indeed falling before a pair of strong arms caught her. The next thing she knew, she was gazing into a pair of very teal eyes, reminding her of the waters off Hanauma Bay.

"Uh... Th-thanks," she stammered as the young man helped her up.

He gave her a curt nod of acknowledgement before turning to one of his companions -- apparently the one she had to thank for the incident. "Idiot, I told you to watch where you're going."

The dark-haired youth he had addressed bowed an apology to her. "Gomen nasai! I guess I got a little too excited."

"A little?" came a mutter from beside her, followed by a light chuckle from behind.

"I didn't mean to. I'm sorry."

"Ah, quite all right," she told him, smiling in reassurance. "No harm done."

She knew she was blushing, and profusely at that. Did she have something to tell Alisa when she went on her break! Not that the woman would believe her for a second, she suspected. Unless, she thought with an inward grin, she found some way to prove all this had happened.

She'd been expecting something like this ever since the second time she was adjusting the decorations. That time, an overeager child of about eight or nine had just narrowly missed the stepladder on his way out. But now...

Now!

Some deity above finally decided that she needed a break. Not that she appreciated almost getting a concussion, but it got her into the arms of, she was convinced, the most _gorgeous_ guy she had ever met. The boy with the fascinating, amethyst-colored eyes wasn't bad looking, either -- he was rather adorable, in fact, with innocent looks that urged you to take him home and cuddle all night -- but a little voice in her mind chose that moment to remind her that she was twenty-six and he looked too damn young, thank ye kindly.

Their two companions, who had thus far remained silent, stole any breath she had left. Liz was a woman of the opinion that long hair only served to make men look like bums, but there two were _definitely_ an exception. One had the bluest eyes she had ever seen, features framed by a cascade of blonde curls and regal air softened by a gentle smile she, for some reason, thought was perpetual. His partner was stoic, aristocratic, depthless eyes a grey that reminded her of thunderclouds and straight, ash-blonde hair cut an inch or two above his shoulders.

Never in the brief moments she took to observe the quartet could she work it up to speak. Or, for that matter, when they continued on into the hotel. With a shrug, Liz mounted the stepladder once more to finish her task, but not before casting a glance at the front desk to see if she knew anyone on duty. Perhaps she could persuade them later to slip her the information on where the four were staying...

/Damn, I wish I could use duct tape for these damn things,/ she thought idly, a faint smirk on her lips. /Green duct tape. No one'd notice a thing./

Which was probably true. Everyone would be too busy with their vacation agendas or assisting the hotel guests that nothing would seem amiss. Too bad her superiors had other ideas.

/Oh well./

"Um, 'scuse me..."

Liz was startled by the soft voice beside her and looked down to meet curious, dark amethyst-hued eyes. "Y-yes?"

"Sorry, um..." He shifted his gaze to the garlands. "I was just wondering... What are those for?"

She followed his gaze. "Those?"

"The berries," the youth elaborated. "I've seen them lots of times. And I know they're not just decoration. I've seen how some people look at them, then avoid them."

/Berries? The mistletoe? I thought everyone knew about that. --Ohh.../

"You're first Christmas, isn't it?"

He gave a shy nod. "Yeah."

"Well, they're called mistletoe," she explained as she got off the stepladder and folded it to bring inside. "Another Christmas tradition. They say if two people happen to find themselves under some mistletoe, they have to kiss."

"Kiss?"

She smiled at his wide-eyed expression. "That's probably why you've seen people avoiding it. Actually, it comes from some ancient tradition of settling disputes. Druid, or something like that." She shrugged. "Anyway, mistletoe symbolized peace. So the two opposing sides would meet under some mistletoe to settle their disputes."

"Oh." A pause as he looked up at the berries again. "So does this mean we..."

"We?"

He fidgeted.

Then it hit her and she giggled. "There's probably an exception for complete strangers."

Although, the way they'd been carrying on, it didn't seem to her that they were strangers.

"Well..." He grinned suddenly. "You said it yourself. It's tradition. What if bad luck should follow us after this?"

She laughed again. "Can't be too careful, is that it?"

"Chihaya!"

They both looked in the direction of the sharp voice. The blonde-haired young man who'd helped her earlier was several yards away, expression an impatient one, two companions behind him.

"Ooh, that's my cue." The dark-haired youth looked at her for a moment, then on impulse, stepped closer and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "Tradition fulfilled."

Liz felt herself begin to blush again, but shared his grin nonetheless. "Tradition fulfilled."

"Saa, Merry Christmas. Ja ne." He gave a quick half-bow goodbye before hurrying off towards his companions, nearly dancing in excitement and beginning to talk rapidly -- no doubt about what she'd told him -- as soon as he reached them.

Going to return the stepladder, Liz found herself unable to wipe the silly smile she had on her face. /So, _his_ name's Chihaya.../

* * *

"Michael..."

"Mm. What happened to the '-sama'?" Teasing.

He smiled despite himself into the near-darkness and chose not to rise to the comment. "I'm beginning to think you like this holiday a little too much."

A quiet chuckle. "Oh?"

"Mm-hmm."

Fingers lightly traced random patterns on his chest. "So what are you saying?"

He moved quickly and pinned his partner under him. Laughing, blue eyes met his gaze in the faint streetlight that managed its way through the small gaps between the drapes.

"I'm saying..."

Light kisses and the occasional, well-placed nip. Breathing turning quickly erratic, interspersed by quiet moans.

"...You don't need some silly tradition as an excuse to kiss me. Merry Christmas, Michael."

"Merry-- Oh! Tease!" That soft laugh again. "Merry Christmas, Raphael."

~And to all a good night!~

~*~  
(short addendum)  
-the German: have been ranted at in it by my beta once and thought it was kinda cool (after the fact), so used it here.  
-wasn't sure how to translate Daina's name, so just used the romaji reading  
-almost considered a male OC instead of Liz. XD  
-young Raphael in the Secret Garden series -- picture that as his Earthian disguise. ^^


End file.
